Folding box

ABSTRACT

A folding box is disclosed which includes barbed tab locking means which are placed in their operative position automatically as the box is erected. The barbed tabs extend from glue flaps which are integrally and hingedly attached to side walls and adhesively secured to the end walls.

United States Patent [191 Paige FOLDING BOX [75] Inventor: Richard E. Paige, New York, NY.

[73] Assignee: Climax Manufacturing Co.,

Castorland, NY.

[22] Filed: Dec. 27, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 212,474

[52] US. Cl 229/34 B, 229/41 B [51] Int. Cl 365d 5/22 [58] Field of Search 229/31 FS, 32, 34 R, 34 B,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,555,655 6/1951 Painter 229/32 906,138 12/1908 Hougland... 229/34 B 2,579,518 12/1951 Schaefer.... 229/32 1,699,269 1/1929 Bachman 229/34 B 1,838,154 12/1931 Raftenberg 229/30 Apr. 30, 1974 1,912,822 6/1933 Capshaw 229/34 B 3,067,924 12/1962 Baker et al.. 3,708,103 l/l973 Evans 3,696,989 10/1972 Kochcvar 229/34 R FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 75,542 5/1961 France 229/34 R Primary ExaminerWil1iam T. Dixson, Jr. Assistant Examiner-Stephen Marcus Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Laurence R. Hefter [57] ABSTRACT A folding box is disclosed which includes barbed tab locking means which are placed in their operative position automatically as the box is erected. The barbed tabs extend from glue flaps which are integrally and hingedly attached to side walls and adhesively' secured to the end walls.

11 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 7 This invention relates to an improvement in folding cartons, boxes, trays and other like structures hereinafter collectively referred to as folding boxes, made by folding blanks of cardboard, paperboard or other suitable folding sheet material. More particularly, this invention relates to folding boxes having the strength and aesthetically attractive appearance of set-up boxes and having an improved locking mechanism which locks the walls in their erected container-forming position.

BACKG ROUND Boxes for wrapping gifts, apparel and other similar items often are used by retail stores to build favorable store images, maintain and gain customers, create extra gift sales and obtain maximum advertising through box use, display and reuse. Set-up boxes are boxes which have been set up by the box manufacturer by taping the corners of the boxes and covering the boxes with paper, cloth or other sheet material. Folding boxes are boxes which are supplied to the retail store as a blank or partially assembled box and which are erected into a container by store personnel. Many people believe that set-up boxes are more attractive and stronger than folding boxes and they associate set-up boxes with high quality. Conversely, because of previous folding box designs, many people associate folding boxes with cheap or moderately priced merchandise. To overcome this preference for set-up boxes there have been many prior art folding box designs directed at producing boxes which have the appearance and strength of setup boxes and which can be erected easily and quickly. The objective of such folding box designs are to obtain the appearance and strength of set-up boxes while maintaining the advantages of folding boxes, namely space and labor conservation. Folding boxes take up less space in the warehouse and at the counter and therefore permit the purchasing of a greater number of boxes per purchase thereby reducing the number of shipments of boxes and the attendant labor costs of moving the boxes from the receiving dock to storage and from storage to the counter.

It is preferred to have folding boxes with uninterrupted sides, that is sides without disfiguring slits or overlapping portions, as this will permit the box to have graphic matter printed thereon or affixed thereto on all sides of the box and will have the appearance of a smooth exterior set-up box. Furthermore, the folding boxes must be strong and must lock in an erect position so that there is no tendency for the boxes to collapse when pressure is applied on the walls. It is also necessary for the boxes to be able to be set up by a clerk who has little time to spendassembling boxes and, furthermore, is untrained in assembling procedures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention, in one form, comprises a folding box formed with a base, a pair of side walls attached to opposite edges of the base and a pair of end walls attached to the remaining opposite edges of the base. Each of the side walls has a flap at its end folded inwardly toward the center of the base perpendicular to the side wall to which it is attached and secured to the inner surface of the adjacent end wall. Each of the tabs includes a barbed tab formed of a shank extending from the end wall flap and a barbed head at the'end of the shank, the

barbed head being spaced slightly fromthe end wall flap from whichit. protrudes. The end wall adjacent to the end wall flap is formed with two portions, each having a width equal to the height of the side walls. The end wall is folded upwardly so that the portion of the end wall attached to the base forms the outer end wall of the box and the second portion remote from the base is folded downwardly and inwardly overlapping the end flaps protruding from the sidewalls. The second portion of the end wall has a recess which receives the barbed tab in a locking arrangement thereby interlocking the side walls and end walls and resulting in an aesthetically attractive and structurally strong box.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other objectives and attendant advantages of this invention will become apparent from the detailed description set forth below taken 'with "the accompanying drawings in which: I

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a folding box formed in accordance with this invention in its erected position.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a' blank formed in accordance with this invention andfrom'which'the folding box of FIG. 1 is formed.

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating various steps in the folding and gluing of the blank of FIG. 2 to form the folding box of FIG. 1 inits collapsed position.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the erection of the collapsed box of FIG. 3 to form the box of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION With reference now to the drawings, and more particularly FIGS. 1 and 2, there is illustrated an open top folding box 10 in its erect position '(FIG. 1) formed from the blank 12 illustrated in FIG. 2. The folding box of this invention can be used alone as shown'in FIG. 1 or together with a top or bottom of the same or different construction. The blank 12, cut from sheet material such as cardboard, solid fiber, paperboard or other suitable foldable sheet material, includes a bottom or base panel 14, opposed side wall panels 16', 18 and opposed end wall panels 20, 22. The terms side walls and end walls" are used to simplify the description of the invention and have no relevance with respect to location or size of those particular panels. For example, the side wall panels 16, 18 can be longer or shorter than the end wall panels 20, 22. Further, terms of orientation used throughout the specification and claims, such as upwardly, downwardly, inner, outer, top and bottom also are used to simplify description and understanding of the invention and are not intended as limiting recitations. Also, while a four sided box is illustrated and described it is not intended to limit the scope of coverage to four sided boxes.

The wall panels l6, 18, 20, 22 are hingedly joined to the edges of the base panel l 4 defined by fold lines 24,

3 26, 28, 30 respectively, the fold lines providing for easy erection of the wall panels along a definite line thus simplifying the assembly procedure. The end wall panels 20, 22 are each divided into an inner portion 32 and outer portion 34 by a fold line 36 parallel to the base end edges 28, 30, the fold line 36 bisecting the end wall panels 20, 22. The width of the inner portion 32 and of the outer portion 34 is equal to the width of the side wall panels 16, 18 measured outwardly from the fold lines 24, 26.

Extending from both ends of each of the side wall panels 16, 18 are flaps 38 connected to the side wall panels 16, 18 along a fold line 40. A fold line 42, which preferably is a perforated fold line, is provided in the flap 38 extending diagonally outwardly from the point of intersection of the fold lines 40 and the base side edges 24, 26 separating the base panel 14 from the side wall to which the flap is attached. The diagonal fold line42 forms a 45 angle with the fold line 40 and defines a first section 44 contiguous to the side wall panels 16, 18 and a second section or glue flap 46 remote from the side wall panels 16, 18. A barbed tab 48 extends from the inner edgeSO of theglue flap 46, the

barbed tab including a shank 52 and a head 54. The end of the shank is connected to the flap 38 along a fold line 56 with the sides of the shank being defined by slits 58, 60, extending through the flap 38. The outer edge 62 of the first section 44 of the flap 38 is recessed slightly from the outer edge 64of the side wall panels 16, 18 for a purpose described below.

FIG. 3 illustrates several steps in the formation of the assembled box in collapsed position produced and shipped by the manufacturer to'the stores. Beginning with the blank 12 of FIG. 2 the flap is folded along the perforated fold line 42 as shown by the phantom lines on the right side of FIG. 3. Glue is then applied along the outer half of the glue fla'p 46 as illustrated by the cross hatching 70, care being taken to not apply any glue on the barbed tab 48. The entire side wall panels 16, 18 and the end flaps 38 then are folded inwardly toward the center of the base panel 14 as shown by the solid lines in FIG. 3. The perforated fold lines 42 allow the flaps 38 to be folded flat. It will be appreciated that the glue flaps 46 become glued to the interior surface of the inner portion 32 of the end walls '20, 22. The outer portion 34 of the end walls 20, 22 are then folded along the fold lines 36 inwardly toward the center of the base panel 14 as can be seen by the lower half of FIG. 3. Recesses 72 are provided in the outer edge 74 of the end panels 20, 22, the recesses being alignedwith the barbed tabs 48 and having a width greater than the width'of the barbed tab shank 52 but less than the width of the barbed head 54 as can be clearly seen in the lower half of FIG. 3. After both end wall panels 20, 22 are folded over the flaps 38 the resulting product is ready to be shipped and stored. It can be 'seen that the stored product is flat and has the outer dimension of the box 10 which ultimately will be formed from the blank 12.

To form or erect the box 10 the end wall panels 20, 22 are pushed inwardly toward the center of the base panel 14 causing the side wall panels 16, 18 to become erect because the flaps 38, which also stand up, are glued to the inner portions 32 of the end wall panels 20, 22 (see FIG. 4). As the flaps 38 rise the tips of the barbed heads 54 contact the interior surface of the base panel 14 forcing the barbed heads 54 to pivot about the fold line 56 and provide a clearance between the barbed heads 54 and the flaps 38 and bottom panel 14. In other words, the bottom of the box automatically establishes the locking means as the box is erected. In order to ensure this movement and position of the barbed heads 54, the heads must extend inwardly beyond the fold line 28, 30 defining the inner edge of the end walls 20, 22 to which the flaps are secured. In order to not interfere with the merchandise placed in the box 10 and to not reduce the volume within'the box it is desired to locate the barbed tab 48 as close to the bottom panel 14 or end wall 20, 22 as possible and still provide a clearance between the barbed head 54 and the bottom panel 14 and end walls 20, 22. This is accomplished by providing a short shank 52, in the order of U8 inch.

The outer portions 34 of the end wall panels 20, 22 are then folded inwardly along the fold lines 36 so that the flaps 38 are trapped between the inner portion 32 and the outer portion 34 of the end wall panels 20, 22. As the outer portion 34 is folded downwardly, the outer edge thereof 74 approaches the base panel 14 and the sides of the recesses 72 abut against the barbed head 54 of the barbed tab 48. A little pressure on the outer portion 34 toward the flaps 38 forces the edges of the recess 72 to ride past and snap behind the barbed head 54 and be locked in the clearance formed between the barbed head 54 and the flaps 38. Since the barbed head is wider than the recesses 72 the end walls become locked in place behind the barbed heads as is shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5.

The recessed outer edge 62of the flap 38 is provided to receive neatly the folded portion of the end walls 20, 22 along the fold lines 36 so that when the box is set up the height of the end walls and of the side walls are equal. If it is desirable to produce a box with slanting end walls, such as where one side wall is higher than the other, the fold line 36 would not be parallel to the fold lines 28, 30. The distance between the base panel and wall edge and the fold line 36 at each end of the end wall would be equal to the width of the adjoining side walls.

It can beseen that a well locked and structurally strong folding box 10 with smooth exterior walls is formed by this invention. The end wall panels 20, 22 are adhesively secured to the flaps 38 which in turn are formed as an integral part of the side wall panels 16, 18. The flaps 38 are trapped between the inner and outer halves of the end wall panels 20, 22 with the end wall panels being locked in position by the barbed tabs 48 which are attached to the flap 38. This interlocking relationship provides the structural rigidity desired and permits the box to be set up simply and rapidly. The resulting folding box 10 gives the appearance of a set-up box, has the strength of a setup box and yet maintains all of the advantages of a folding box.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is.

1. A folding box comprising:

a. a base having a pair of opposed side edges and a pair of opposed end edges;

b. a pair of end walls, each end wall having a first section connected to an end edge of the base and a second section defined by a free edge and a fold line and connected along the fold line to the first section, at least one recess being formed adjacent to the free edge of said second section;

verse projection extending therefrom, one of said shanks being attached along a hinge line to at least one of said flaps at each end of the box, each of said recesses having a width at least equal to the width of the shank and less than the width of the projection and receiving a shank.

2. A folding box as defined in claim 1 wherein each side wall flap has at least one barbed tab and wherein each end wall has a recess corresponding to and aligned with each barbed tab adjacent to that end wall.

3. A folding box as defined in claim 1 wherein the height of the first section and second section of each end wall is substantially equal to the height of the side walls, the side walls being of equal height.

4. The folding box as defined in claim 1 wherein the width of the second section equals the width of the first section.

5. A folding box comprising a base having a pair of opposed side edges and a pair of opposed end edges, a pair of end walls hingedly attached to the end edges of the base, each end wall having a first section connected to an end edge of the base and a second-section defined by a free edge and a fold line and connected along the fold line to the first section, a recess being formed adjacent the free edge of the second section, a pair of side walls hingedly attached to the side edges of the base, each of the side walls having a flap at each end thereof secured to an adjacent end wall, at least one of said flaps at each end of the box having a shank hingedly attached thereto and a barbed head at the end of said shank remote from the end wall flap, the barbed head being spaced from the flap from which it extends, said second section of each end wall trapping the side wall flaps adjacent thereto between them, each recess having a width at least equal to the width of the shank and less than the width of the barbed head and receiving one of said shanks, the second section being located between the barbed head and the side wall flap adjacent thereto, the barbed head abutting the interior surface of the base causing the shank to project from the flap to which it is attached toward the interior of the box.

6. A folding box blank having an interior surface and exterior surface, the blank comprising a. a base having opposed end edges and opposed side edges,

b. a pair of end walls attached along a first edge to an end edge of the base and having a second edge spaced from the first edge and a fold line intermediate the first and second edges defining a first section adjacent to the base and a second section remote from the base, at least one recess adjacent to the second edge,

e. a pair of side walls, each side wall being attached along an edge to a side edge of the base, the side walls being folded so that the interior'surface of the side walls lie adjacent to the interior surface of the base, a flap attached to each end of the side walls along a fold line, the flap being folded along a second fold line to form a first portion coplaner and colinear with a side wall and a second portion closer to the center of the base than the side wall, the exterior surface of the second portion being secured to the interior surface of the first section of the end wall, at least one of the second portions at each end of the box having a barbed tab including a shank and barbed head extending therefrom toward the'center of the base, each recess being aligned with a barbed tab, the recess having a width at least equal to the width of the shank and less than the width of the head. I

7. The folding box blank as defined in claim 6 wherein each second portion has a barbed tab extending therefrom and wherein each second section has a recess corresponding to each barbed tab adjacent thereto.

8. The folding box blank as defined in claim 6 wherein the first edge, second edge and intermediate fold lines of the end wall are parallel. I

9. The folding box blank as defined in claim 6 wherein the barbed head extends toward the center of the base beyond the end edge of the end wall to which the second portion from which is projects is secured.

10. The folding box blank as defined in claim 6 wherein the recesses extend inwardly from the second edge of the end walls.

1 l. The folding box as defined in claim 6 wherein the width of the first section equals the width of the side walls and the side walls are of equal width. 

1. A folding box comprising: a. a base having a pair of opposed side edges and a pair of opposed end edges; b. a pair of end walls, each end wall having a first section connected to an end edge of the base and a second section defined by a free edge and a fold line and connected along the fold line to the first section, at least one recess being formed adjacent to the free edge of said second section; c. a pair of side walls attached to the side edges of the base, each of the side walls having a flap at each end thereof adhered to an adjacent end wall, each of said flaps being trapped between the first and second sections of the end wall to which the flap is adhered; and d. locking means comprising a shank having a transverse projection extending therefrom, one of said shanks being attached along a hinge line to at least one of said flaps at each end of the box, each of said recesses having a width at least equal to the width of the shank and less than the width of the projection and receiving a shank.
 2. A folding box as defined in claim 1 wherein each side wall flap has at least one barbed tab and wherein each end wall has a recess corresponding to and aligned with each barbed tab adjacent to that end wall.
 3. A folding box as defined in claim 1 wherein the height of the first section and second section of each end wall is substantially equal to the height of the side walls, the side walls being of equal height.
 4. The folding box as defined in claim 1 wherein the width of the second section equals the width of the first section.
 5. A folding box comprising a base having a pair of opposed side edges and a pair of opposed end edges, a pair of end wAlls hingedly attached to the end edges of the base, each end wall having a first section connected to an end edge of the base and a second section defined by a free edge and a fold line and connected along the fold line to the first section, a recess being formed adjacent the free edge of the second section, a pair of side walls hingedly attached to the side edges of the base, each of the side walls having a flap at each end thereof secured to an adjacent end wall, at least one of said flaps at each end of the box having a shank hingedly attached thereto and a barbed head at the end of said shank remote from the end wall flap, the barbed head being spaced from the flap from which it extends, said second section of each end wall trapping the side wall flaps adjacent thereto between them, each recess having a width at least equal to the width of the shank and less than the width of the barbed head and receiving one of said shanks, the second section being located between the barbed head and the side wall flap adjacent thereto, the barbed head abutting the interior surface of the base causing the shank to project from the flap to which it is attached toward the interior of the box.
 6. A folding box blank having an interior surface and exterior surface, the blank comprising a. a base having opposed end edges and opposed side edges, b. a pair of end walls attached along a first edge to an end edge of the base and having a second edge spaced from the first edge and a fold line intermediate the first and second edges defining a first section adjacent to the base and a second section remote from the base, at least one recess adjacent to the second edge, c. a pair of side walls, each side wall being attached along an edge to a side edge of the base, the side walls being folded so that the interior surface of the side walls lie adjacent to the interior surface of the base, d. a flap attached to each end of the side walls along a fold line, the flap being folded along a second fold line to form a first portion coplaner and colinear with a side wall and a second portion closer to the center of the base than the side wall, the exterior surface of the second portion being secured to the interior surface of the first section of the end wall, at least one of the second portions at each end of the box having a barbed tab including a shank and barbed head extending therefrom toward the center of the base, each recess being aligned with a barbed tab, the recess having a width at least equal to the width of the shank and less than the width of the head.
 7. The folding box blank as defined in claim 6 wherein each second portion has a barbed tab extending therefrom and wherein each second section has a recess corresponding to each barbed tab adjacent thereto.
 8. The folding box blank as defined in claim 6 wherein the first edge, second edge and intermediate fold lines of the end wall are parallel.
 9. The folding box blank as defined in claim 6 wherein the barbed head extends toward the center of the base beyond the end edge of the end wall to which the second portion from which is projects is secured.
 10. The folding box blank as defined in claim 6 wherein the recesses extend inwardly from the second edge of the end walls.
 11. The folding box as defined in claim 6 wherein the width of the first section equals the width of the side walls and the side walls are of equal width. 